We Don’t Really Believe What God Says About Us

I have led men’s groups for several years. One thing I have noticed with these men and myself is that we have a hard believing what God says about us. We may want proof, or we may have been conditioned to believe the opposite. Either way the good things God says about us are slow coming out of us because we simple don’t believe they are true.

Now I know this is not just a man issue. I can already see it in my daughter who is only nine. As soon as we start a new subject in math, she starts declaring how hard math is and how she is not good at it. Now we homeschool our daughters, so I get to regularly see her work. I know she is actually very good at math, but she often gets so worked up that she freezes and can’t do the work. When given time to settle down and given plenty of encouragement she often does it perfectly.

Remind Ourselves About What God Says About Us

This is exactly what I see with myself and others. God leads us into new circumstance or something difficult, and we revert to old beliefs and get stuck. We need to constantly remind ourselves of God’s words over us.

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” – 2 Timothy 1:6
“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” – Hebrews 3:13
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” – Ephesians 4:29

The angel greeted Gideon by calling him a mighty warrior even when he was hiding in the winepress (Judges 6:12). The angel greets Mary by calling her the highly favored one even though she was just a young girl (Luke 1:28). Jesus calls Peter the rock even before he denies his lord (Matthew 16:18). Jesus greets Nathanael as one with no deceit when they first meet, and he declares Jesus as the Son of God (John 1:47-49).

We are Getting a Different Story About Us

We need reminders of who God says we are because our past, the world and the devil will do their best to tell us a different story. The enemy knows if we truly believe what God says about us, there will be no stopping us from fulfilling our calling. This is so important, because when we don’t believe what God said about us, we will keep sabotaging our own efforts.

This is something I think non-Christians are better at. We know the good we ought to do and feel that admitting the desires to do bad would be admitting to being evil. We need to get these thoughts out into the open with people who believe in us, so that we fight those lies with the truth of what God says about us.

Timothy was young when Paul gave him the leadership of the church at Ephesus. He felt unworthy of this role and fought with fear. That is why Paul encouraged him to not let other people look down on him for being young and reminded him the spirit does not make us timid (1 Timothy 4:12 & 2 Timothy 1:7). But pay attention that Paul’s could speak against the lies battling Timothy because Timothy knew he wouldn’t be judged for having them.

The Importance of Believing in Yourself

Let us actively listen to what God says about us. Write them down. Review them daily. When we have doubts about these truths, share those doubts with people who will remind us what God said.

Let us encourage one another with what God says about them. Let’s agree with God calling out the good in them instead of point out the evil. We already are too easily aware of our problems, we need constant reminders of the good. It is too important to believe in ourselves to not do this for one another.

5 Responses to “The Importance of Believing in Yourself”

Thank you for posting this article. I definitely have a tendency to do this, even doubting when God tells me I’m special in direct English like in Isaiah 43:4 when He says “you are precious and honored in my sight, and I love you.” As much as I absolutely LOVE that verse, I find myself doubting, because I think He is just talking to the Israelites. But thank you for your post. it is really encouraging.

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